Astronomers spot 'phoenix planet' rising from ashes of white dwarf HS 0209+0832

A Jupiter-sized exoplanet has been found orbiting the white dwarf HS 0209+0832, about 270 light-years from Earth, apparently formed from material shed by the dying star. Its atmosphere is being stripped, depositing heavy elements like zinc, copper and niobium back onto the star. The study was published in Nature Astronomy.

• The planet orbits the white dwarf every 4.4 Earth days
• It is roughly Jupiter-sized with an actively stripped atmosphere
• Niobium was detected in a white dwarf for the first time, along with zinc and copper
• The white dwarf is very young and burns at about 35,000 °C